Sprue extractor for molding machines



Nov. 2s, 1967 M. E. TODD ETAL 3,354,942

SPRUE EXTRACTOR FOR MOLDING MACHINES Filed Oct. 6, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l MFM- A TTOP/VE/f Nov. 28', 1967 M E, TODD ETAL 3,354,942

SPRUE EXTRACTOR FOR MOLDING MACHINES Filed Oct. 6, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M PJM- United States Patent O 3,354,942 SPRUE EXTRACTOR FOR MOLDING MACHINES Max E. Todd, Anderson, and John M. Cox, Pendleton, Ind., assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Det. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 493,437 2 Claims. (Cl. 164-344) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE In a preferred form, this invention relates to apparatus that is hydraulically controlled for removing castings from between the tie bars in the casting area of a casting machine. Within the sequence of operation of an automatic die casting machine, the subject invention moves into the casting area when the platens are separated, grasps a cast part, withdraws the part to a point remote from the machine, and deposits said part in a prearranged place.

This invention relates to material handling apparatus and more particularly to apparatus adapted to remove `a casting and/ or casting excess from the casting cavity within the cycling of the casting machine.

Casting machines in common usage, for example, die cast machines, have a cavity formed by the mating of two die halves. When the set time of the casting material has expired, the dies are typically automatically opened exposing the cast part. It is common for -the casting material to remain in adherence to one of the die halves resulting in the necessity for manual extraction of the casting material fro-m the die. It is understood that this material can -be the cast part including the excess material generated during casting or might be merely the excess material. It is normally hazardous to manually extract cas-ting material from between die halves because of the intense heat normally associated with this environment as well as the ever present possibility of the die halves being inadvertently closed. Therefore, a need exists for means of automatically extracting casting material from the casting machine and it is desirable that such a means be adapted for automatic cycling within the cycle of the machine.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improved material handling apparatus that is adapted to move into a casting machine to extract a iinished part therefrom.

It is another object of the present invention to provide improved material handling apparatus that can extract a cast part from a casting machine automatically within the normal cycling of the casting machine.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an arm responsive to movement of -a rotary hydraulic cylinder to move into the casting area o-f a casting machine and to thereafter lgrip and remove casting material disposed therein.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly sho-wn.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the subject invention shown in its operative environment;

FIGURE 2 is a partial sectional view of the subject invention taken along line 2 2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

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Referring to FIGURE l, the subject invention is illustrated as being mounted atop support members 10 of a casting machine. Fixed support 12 is typically bolted to member 10 and provides a support for positioning rods 16. Complementary portions 18 and 20 of movable support 22 carry bearing 14. Bolt 24 serves to lock portion 20 against rod 16 and, therefore, acts las a positioning means Ifor support member 26 relative to the casting machine casting area.

Referring to FIGURE 2, support member 26 carries a rotary hydraulic cylinder 28 and 'allows the repositioning or" that cylinder along rod 16 as the dimensions of the particular casting machine utilized require. Output rod 30 of cylinder 28 carries a substantially arcuate shaped arm 32 and it includes an extension rod 34 that projects through vertical support member 36, carried by support member 26. Cams 38 are ailixed to rod 34 and provide a sequential contact for lever actuators 40 to limit switches 42. A typical method of attachment of arm 32 to output shaft 30 is illustrated in FIGURE 3.

Referring to FIGUR-E l, -arcuate shaped arm 32 is movable from the dotted line position shown in this ligure to the solid line position shown therein which designates the casting area -of the casting machine with a cast article 44 shown in position relative to machine support members 10. It is understood that die platens normally associated with member 10 and die cavities normally carried by the platens are not shown to more clearly illustrate the inventive mechanism.

As seen in FIGUR-E l, a gripping means is generally designated by numeral 46 and is carried in any wellknown fashion on one end of arm 32. A hydraulic cylinder 48, pressurizable through lines 50, has an output member 52 which is linearly movable along the axis of a piston, not shown, in cylinder 48.

Gripping means 46 is more clearly illustrated in FIG- URE 4. laws 53 and 54 are pivotable about points 56 and 58, respectively, in response to linear movement of output member 52 through drive links 60 and 62. When output member 52 moves link 60, jaws 53 and 54 pivot about iixed points 56 and 58 to open jaws S3 and 54 to enable engagement with casting material disposed on a line with the space between the jaws. Reverse movement of output member 52 results in links 60 and 62 drawing jaws 53 and 54 toward one another, thereby gripping any material disposed betwn the jaws.

In operation, the subject device is designed to work within the cycle of a casting machine. By this is meant that the subject invention is arranged to move into the space between die halves of the casting machine when the cycling of the machine as parted the dies and the cast part is ready for removal. It is understood that, in a given installation, the material to be removed may be a finished cast part alone, excess material generated during casting or a combination of the two. It will be assumed that the dies of the casting machine have been drawn apart and the cast article 44 is ready for removal. Arm 32 would be positioned in the location shown by the dotted lines in FIGURE l in any well-known manner, such as by a limit switch tripped by an opening die. Rotary hydraulic cylinder 28 will be energized and arm 32 moved to the position shown by the solid lines in FIG- URE l. It is understood that, as arm 32 moves in its full travel arcuate path, jaws 53 and 54 are yet separated as shown in the dotted line configuration.

When full travel of arm 32 is realized, one of the limit switches 42 would be cammed and cylinder 48 made to close allowing jaws 53 and 54 to close on cast article 44. When this has been accomplished, another limit switch would be tripped in any well-known manner and arm 32 rotated back to the position shown by the dotted lines in FIGURE l. When full travel in the up position has been realized, another one of the limit switches 42 will be tripped resulting in the energization of cylinder 48 to open jaws 53 and 54. Cast article 44 will thereby be released and caused to drop into a receptacle provided for the collection of these articles.

It is then seen how a series of limit switches tripped by moving portions of a casting machine and portions of the subject invention cause a sequence of operations which results in the automatic extraction of sprues from a molding machine. It should be understood that, in any given setup, the exact position of the sprue may vary and the position of support member 26 is varied on positioning rods 16 to compensate for any change in position from the previous setup. Jaws 53 and 54 are designed to accommodate various sized sprues within a given range and adjustment of jaws 53 and 54 to accommodate sprues outside this range is easily accomplished.

While the embodiment of the present invention, as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Material handling apparatus for withdrawing castings and runners from a casting machine and depositing the castings and runners at a point apart from the casting machine, said apparatus comprising: a rotary hydraulic cylinder adjustably carried on a casting machine and responsive to pressure input to generate a rotational movement of an output member; a substantially arcuate shaped arm carried by the output member of the hydraulic cylinder and arranged to be movable in and out of space in the casting machine wherein the casting operation takes place; gripping means responsive to hydraulic pressure to open and close in scissor-like fashion and carried by said arcuate shaped arm and arranged to move therewith; and sequencing means including cams carried on said arcuate shaped arm and cam operated limit switches carried on the casting machine responsive to movement of the output member of said hydraulic cylinder as it assumes various radial portions, said sequencing means arranged to electrically control output of hydraulic pressure from a source to said hydraulic cylinder and said gripping means to move said arcuate arm and said gripping means into engagement with casting material within the machine and removing the material therefrom at an appropriate time during the casting cycle of the machine.

2. Material handling apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said gripping means comprises a hydraulic cylinder carried by said arcuate arm, a linearly movable output member responsive to pressure for movement, oppositely disposed jaws pivotable in opposite directions in response to a power stroke in said hydraulic cylinder, and means linking said output member and said pivotable jaws to open and close said pivotable jaws as said output member responds to pressure within said hydraulic cylinder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,861,699 11/1958 Yowmans 214-1 3,053,399 9/1962 Armbrust 214-1 3,127,026 3/1964 Blatt 214-1 3,209,922 10/1965 Melvin 214-1 3,270,379 9/1966 Sehn et al. 22-94 WILLIAM I. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner.

R. D. BALDWIN, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,354,942 November` 28, 1967 Max E. Todd et al.

certified that error appears in the above numbered pat- It is hereby the said Letters Patent should read as ent requiring correction and that corrected below.

Column 4, line 6,V for "portions read positions Signed and seaed this `31st day of December 1968.

SEAL) Lttest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents ldward M. Fletcher, Jr.

testing Officer 

1. MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING CASTINGS AND RUNNERS FROM A CASTING MACHINE AND DEPOSITING THE CASTINGS AND RUNNERS AT A POINT APART FROM THE CASTING MACHINE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A ROTARY HYDRAULIC CYLINDER ADJUSTABLY CARRIED ON A CASTING MACHINE AND RESPONSIVE TO PRESSURE IMPUT TO GENERATE A ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF AN OUTPUT MEMBER; A SUBSTANTIALLY ARCUATE SHAPED ARM CARRIED BY THE OUTPUT MEMBER OF A HYDRAULIC CYLINDER AND ARRANGED TO BE MOVABLE IN AND OUT OF SPACE IN THE CASTING MACHINE WHEREIN THE CASTING OPERATION TAKES PLACE; GRIPPING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO HYDRAULIC PRESSURE TO OPEN AND CLOSE IN SCISSOR-LIKE FASHION AND CARRIED BY SAID ARCUATE SHAPED ARM AND ARRANGED TO MOVE THEREWITH; AND SEQUENCING MEANS INCLUDING CAMS CARRIES ON SAID ARCUATE SHAPED ARM AND CAM OPERATED LIMIT SWITCHES CARRIES ON THE CASTING MACHINE RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT OF THE OUTPUT MEMBER OF SAID HYDRAULIC CYLINDER AS IT ASSUMES VARIOUS RADIAL PORTIONS, SAID SEQUENCING MEANS ARRANGED TO ELECTRICALLY CONTROL OUTPUT OF HYDRAULIC PRESSURE FROM A SOURCE TO SAID HYDRAULIC CYLINDER AND SAID GRIPPING MEANS TO MOVE SAID ARCUATE ARM AND SAID GRIPPING MEANS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH CASTING MATERIAL WITHIN THE MACHINE AND REMOVING THE MATERIAL THEREFROM AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME DURING THE CASTING CYCLE OF THE MACHINE. 